1. If you watch from too close the trick doesn't work.2. Must be performed in a particular spot, in front of a curtain (of prayer flags)3. Camera only reveals behind the magician before the floating begins. Once he's in the air, we don't get to see behind him, so you don't see the mechanism that lifts him up.4. Watch the YouTube version. He lands with a slight bounce as the device (basically a type of crane or level, like a see-saw) drops him back onto the floor5. The host, a professional magician, says "it's the real deal" so of course, it's not. He's not some skeptical journalist. They are all in this together.

This is classic vaudeville. I hope that this "monk" and his assistant behind the prayer flags were paid well by the Discovery Channel. It was a good trick, well done.

However, It doesn't really help dispel the misconceptions that many people have about the Dharma.

Profile Picture: "The Foaming Monk"The Chinese characters are Fo (buddha) and Ming (bright). The image is of a student of Buddhism, who, imagining himself to be a monk, and not understanding the true meaning of the words takes the sound of the words literally. Likewise, People on web forums sometime seem to be foaming at the mouth. Original painting by P.Volker /used by permission.

I think my favorite part is probably the fact that right after the "monk" starts chanting the chenrezig mantra, which i chant everday and have yet to float (although the vajrapani mantra teleports me, instantly, to wherever i want to go) and the "magician" says "hes chanting his mantra, this guys the real deal". Of course he is. he knows the secret om padme hung mantra

Haha ya I saw that show too, total B.S., didn't know wether to laugh or be angry about it but what do I expect from television ?

Things I found quite funny about it -

The so called " monastery " was just a little house and how rude of that guy to just walk in somebodys home like that when nobody answered the door, at night no less, the inside was obviously a studio set, the little windows inside were western style, there was no shrine anywhere to be seen, just what looked like long folding tables, candles everywhere, birthday cake candles wich I thought was funny as hell, and brand spanking new prayer flags everywhere INSIDE the house, you could tell they were new because they were bright and still had a bit of a curl in them, no thangkas on the walls, no shrine, no furniture, just birthday candles and prayer flags, lol. Then of course it just got more ridiculous from there once the supposed " monk " appeared. Total B.S. and I think that guys an idiot as well as being disrespectful to our tradition, Hollywood's on crack.

The nonexistence of the transcendence of suffering is what the protector of the world has taught as the transcendenceof suffering.Knots tied on spaceare untied by space itself.

May I never be seperated from perfect masters in all lives,and delightfully experiencing the magnificent dharma,completing all qualities of the stages of the pathsmay I quickly attain the state of Vajradhara

You meditate on the Medicine Buddha to help with sickness. However, this does not override Karma:

This last episode of Moggallana's life, however, showed that the law of moral causality (Kamma) has even greater power than the supernormal feats of this master of magic. Only a Buddha can control the karmic consequences acting upon his body to such an extent that nothing might cause his premature death.

gad rgyangs wrote:Mr. G is right, but that doesn't stop 99% of East Asian Buddhists from praying to the Buddha, Tara, Guanyin, etc, for intercession in exactly the same way that Christians pray to Jesus and Mary.

I have no problem with petitionary prayer. The problem is when they think it's a magic bullet that overrides karma.

How foolish you are, grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention! - Vasubandhu

You meditate on the Medicine Buddha to help with sickness. However, this does not override Karma:

This last episode of Moggallana's life, however, showed that the law of moral causality (Kamma) has even greater power than the supernormal feats of this master of magic. Only a Buddha can control the karmic consequences acting upon his body to such an extent that nothing might cause his premature death.

gad rgyangs wrote:Mr. G is right, but that doesn't stop 99% of East Asian Buddhists from praying to the Buddha, Tara, Guanyin, etc, for intercession in exactly the same way that Christians pray to Jesus and Mary.

I have no problem with petitionary prayer. The problem is when they think it's a magic bullet that overrides karma.

What do you mean "overides karma".

If they (Buddhas) are perfect then they have _all_ of the perfect causes to stop suffering.

Yes. How foolish of me to define what the Buddha can do by using the words of the Buddha.

How do they help you or me?

If they understand the causes of suffering then they have then causes to stop suffering,for you and me.

They help you by providing you teachings to end the afflictions that cause suffering. You are the one that actually has to apply those teachings by practicing.

If they (Buddhas) are perfect then they have _all_ of the perfect causes to stop suffering.

No, they don't. Once again, provide a citation from a sutta, sutra, or tantra stating that a Buddha is omnipotent and can make you enlightened. If you are unable to, this thread will be locked as you are just blathering mindlessly with no evidence.

How foolish you are, grasping the letter of the text and ignoring its intention! - Vasubandhu